City Council turns down request for beer tent at boat event in park

By Rosemary K. Otzman
Independent Editor
It was just an idea, proposed last summer by unnamed citizens at the Taste of Belleville, to have a beer tent so they could wash down their food with a tasty beverage.
This is how members of the Belleville Central Business Community (CBC) explained their request to have a beer tent at the July 20 Boat Show at Horizon Park.
The smaller boat show event could give them a test of a beer tent at an event, said CBC President Bill Wolters at Monday’s city council meeting.
They needed a letter from the city council to the Liquor Control Commission endorsing the beer tent. Wolters said the Baptist Church pastor has given verbal approval to having the beer tent across from his church, and will put it in writing, and they will ask the Methodist minister for approval.
Wolters had visualized a beer tent in Horizon Park, but learned that a city ordinance prohibits alcohol in city parks. So, he thought they could put the tent on High Street, next to the park.
But, a majority of the council didn’t want the beer tent anywhere and voted 3-2 to not draft a letter to the LCC endorsing the beer tent at the boat show.
Voting not to draft a letter were Council members Kim Tindall and Brian Blackburn and Mayor Kerreen Conley. Voting against that motion (which put them in favor of the tent) were Mayor Pro Tem Jack Loria and Councilman Tom Smith.
Councilwoman Tindall began the discussion on the CBC request by asking how beer would be a “value added” to this event.
“It was a request from the public,” Wolters answered.
“I don’t think you need alcohol to have a good time, especially since it’s a family affair,” Councilman Blackburn said, referring to the boat show.
Mayor Conley said the ordinance is pretty clear that alcohol cannot be in the park. She said the liability was her concern.
Also, Mayor Conley said this would open Pandora’s box for the city, suggesting that the car show on Main Street might want a beer tent, too.
Wolters threw in the information that the liability is higher for water events than for alcohol events. He had found that having the CBC sponsor water events would cost $5,000 or so in insurance costs, so the group backed off of that.
He said the CBC would pay for the insurance that included a beer tent.
Mike Renaud, who serves on the planning commission, said a beer tent would have to be fenced in.
Wolters said he understood that and the drinkers would have to be “corralled” and can’t walk around drinking.
Tom Fielder, another member of the CBC, said a number of people at the Taste of Belleville last year came to CBC members and asked for beer with their food. He said the CBC wanted to see if the idea would extend to the government body.
Fielder said Mayor Pro-Tem Loria’s son runs a beer tent during Strawberry Festival. He uses a company that brings out spigots.
Fielder said they wanted to see the council’s position.
Loria asked Tindall’s premise for being against the beer tent and Tindall said her opinion was as a council person that this is not something the council should be involved in.
In other business at Monday’s 37-minute meeting, the council:
• Set a special meeting for 6 p.m., Monday, May 13, to discuss the 2013-14 budget, which was presented Monday for the first time. The May 15 meeting that had been set for budget talks was cancelled, since it was on the same night as the Downtown Development Authority. The budget will be on the agenda of the regular council meeting on May 20 and a public hearing will be called for the first meeting in June. Other meetings will be called, if necessary, to discuss the budget;
• Approved permits for sidewalk sales on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, starting May 3 and running through Oct. 13, no earlier than 8 a.m. to not later than 8 p.m. Permit application forms are available at city hall;
• Approved paying $1,874 more than planned for cured-in-place sanitary sewer liners because of finding areas with smaller pipes than expected in Main Street and in the utility easement off East Huron River Drive at Angola Street. This Change Order 1 brought the total cost to $154,700.80, which will be paid to Insituform Technologies after company workmen secure the manhole covers in the street that were left boltless;
• Approved the closing of High Street from Church to Main streets from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 27, for the annual Thunder Rolls in Belleville. The event is sponsored by David C. Brown Funeral Home and Brown Family Center and Richard Willick said there will be between 150 and 200 motorcycles and about 200 people. The council asked Willick to fill out a regular form for the request and, next year, to make the request further in advance of the event;
• Approved $242,240.63 in accounts payable and the following departmental purchases in excess of $500: to the Michigan Association of Planning annual dues of $625; to Sumpter Fire Department, $600, for books and training for the fire department; to Burhop’s Collision, $1,000 in impound fees, from the police department (which Chief Gene Taylor said was a wash since the owner pays); to Hydrodesign, $9,200 for cross connection inspection, for Utilities; to Hennessey Engineers, $14,888.50 for manhole inspection for a Utilities/S-2 grant and $849 for S-2 grant application; and to Jack Doheny, $784.13 for Brooms Street Sweeper out of Street Funds;
• Heard Councilwoman Tindall announce that there will be a special Heroes Night at McDonald’s on Belleville Road May 20 to benefit the city fire department; and
• Heard Mayor Conley say the city and the BYC are teaming up to clean up the city and the lake May 13-18, with a cookout and other events concentrated on May 18. Also, on May 18, the placement of American flags on veterans’ graves will take place at Hillside Cemetery beginning at 8:30 a.m. The cemetery gates will be locked until then.